Improvement in bell-pianos



G. G. BUTTKEREIT.

Bell Pianos.

N 142 768 PatentedSeptember16,1813.

lnvemo r:

Attorneys.

Wi asses:

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL G. BUTTKEREIT, OF TOLEDO, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT m BELL-PIANOS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,768, dated September 16, 1873 application filed June 7, 1873.

To alliehom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARL GUSTAV BUTT- KER-Elli of Toledo, in the county of Tame and State ot Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Belldiunos, of which the following is a specification Figure 1 represents a sectional side view of my improved bell piano action with parts broken oil; Fi 2, a front view of my improved bell-piano showing arrangement of bells and keyboard; and Fig. 3, a detail side view of the. belllmmmer.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of my invention is, mainly, to so arrange the different parts of bell-pianos that clear and plensin g effects may be obtained, and the working of the some be greatly perfected. My invention consists in actuating. bell-hammers, dampers, pedals. and devices for modifying the tones of the bells, in connection with the method of suspending them, as is hereinafter fully described, and subsequently pointed out in the claims.

A in the druwin g represents one of the keys of the instrument, there being a row of keys arranged on a key-hoard similarly as on an ordinary piano-forte. Every key A is pro vided, on its rear part, with a short piece, a,

to which is pivoted the upright piece I), which again connects, at its upper end, with a hori zontal lever, d. Lever d is hinged, at its rear end, to a bar or piece, (1, which is nearly parallel to d, and rigidly attached to a main support or standard, B, which is slightly inclined to ward the vertical axis of the instrument, and supported, with the similarly-inclined support B, by the lateral top and bottom connectingpieces 0 of the outer frame crease D of the bellpiano. The parts which form the bell-hammer action are applied to support B, while the parts. which produce the damper action are attached to snpportB. Tothe upper side ol'lever d is connected, by suitable screws 0, the intermediate lever f, to whose front end is pivoted the elbow or knee joint 9. Its rear end carries the upright pillar h, which is provided, at its upper end, with a cushion, h, for the, soundless arrest of the backward motion of the hammer. The elbow or knee joint 9 bears with its leg g against the lower side of the hammerbutt i, which is pivoted to a stationary arm, t,which is again supported, under a suitable angle, by the. slotted arm lofsupportB. Legg passes through the slot of arm I. The rear leg 51 of elbow 9 passes below an adjustable pad, m, at thelower side of arm I, producing, by its gliding along pad m, the swinging motion of leg 9 and its action on socket t. The stem 5 is secured in socket i, and carries, at its upper end, the curved part of the hammer E,which is weighted, by suitable metal pieces 12, at its front and rear end, to increase the momentum of its forward and backward stroke. The front end of hammer E is covered with cloth or leather bindiiig; and the rear end provided with a downward-curved band-spring, n, which comes in contact with cushion h, arresting the backward motion of hammerE, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. On a pad at the rear end of key A rests the upright damper-rod 0, which passes loosely through the pedal-bar F, and through a guide-lug, q, of damper-lever 8, bearing, with r u fixed pad, 0 against lug q. A fixed pad, 0?, of damper-rod 0, supports the same on the lateral pedal-bar F, which slides in guides of frame D, being lifted, as desired, by means of pedal-rods 'r, pedal-levers r and 1*, which are pivoted to the bottom of frame D, and operated, by the pedal, in a similar manner as in pianos. The whole series of damperrods 0 cam therefore, be lifted by the pedal bar 13, and the damper-action on the bells be discontinued at pleasure. The damper-leversis pivoted between the upward-projecting lugs of damper-arm t, which. is rigidly applied to support B. Its front part is curved toward "the lower edge of the bell, and has the cushioned damper Geurved to suit the circumference of the bell. The rear end of lover s is weighted by metallic piece s, and connected, by lug q, with damper-rod 0. Through the projecting rear end of arm t, which .is covered with cloth or soft leather, passes the pin '0 0f lover s, on which is placed, below arm t, the adjustable pad 1), which defines the motion-of the damperlcver s, and produces the-noiseless working of the same.

When the key A istouched the damper G is withdrawn from the bell simultaneously 2 mares with the striking of the hammer E, being immediately drawn back again by its weighted end upon the bell, and arrests the vibrations of its component parts. When the pedal is used the damper-action is detached, and the sounds of the bell prolonged.

The bells H are placed on rods, with an inclination similar to that of the main supports B B; The bell-rods I are hungto connectingbars'W of bell-frame L, which is preferably made of bronze or other suitable metal, and

- applied suitably to frame D of the instrument.

' z The bell H has, at its upperend, atubnlar extension, a which is lined, at its inside, with cloth or similar material. A rubber or leather cone and nut, a, secures the bell H to its proper plate on rod I from the outer, and a disk or cone-and nut, a from the inner, side, so that the bell H is suspended in such a manner that a clear sound is produced without transmitting the vibrations to other parts. Bells of difl'erent sizes and pitch are strung upon red I, and 'any series of them hung in bell-frame L, as desired. Their distance from each other corresponds somewhat to the distance of the keys on the key-board, the hammer and damper action of each bell being, by the inclination of the supporting-bars, arranged into a comparatively compact space. A second frame, P, is set in the rear part of bell-frame L, and may be lowered therein on the guide-ends p of the pieces 1?, which are parallel to, and inclined in the same direction as, bell-rodsI. A red, I), connects the frame' I? to a lever, b, pivoted at the bottom of frame D, and connected thence to a second pedal in the same manner as the pedal-bar F. A lateral rod or piece, d between pieces P, carries the leatherapron e, which extendsoverthe end of bell-hammer E, passing between the same and the bell-rod I when the frame P is lowered. The stroke of the hammer is thereby weakened, and a softer sound is produced. The of feet of the bell-piano is thereby greatly varied, as not only clear musical sounds, with or without pedal action, but also stron get and weaker sounds may be produced.

Having thus described my Invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1'. The combination of keyA, pieces a b, arm at, levers d f, knee-joint g, arms I l, with adjustable pad m, hammer-butt i, and hammer E, forming the hammer-action, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The bell-hammerE, having weighted ends and curved band-spring 'n, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the levers d and f, connected, by screws 0, with pillar h and cushion h, for arresting back motion of hammer E, as described.

4. The combination of ke'yA, damper-rod 0, having pads or buttons 0 a, damper lever s, and armst t, formingthe damper-action, as described.

5. The damper-lever 8, having curved and cushioned damper G, pin '0 and pad '0, weighted end 8, and perforated lug q, for the purpose specified.

6. The inclined standards B and B, connected by pieces 0, having stationary arms (1 .l l, and arms t t, respeetively, to support hammerand damper action, substantially as set forth. Y

7. The arm I of standard B, having adjustable pad m. as set forth.

8. The sliding pedal-bar F, in combination with rods 1*, pivoted levers 1' T and pedal and pedal-rod, as specified.

9. The combination of pedal-bar E with damper-rods 0' and damper-levers s fondisconneeting the damper action on the bells, substantially as described.

10. The'bell-frame L, having lateral pieces W, in connection with bell-rod I, as specified.

11. The 'bell rod I, in combination with sounding-board M, by supporting-rod N, having eye y and nuts z and z, asset forth.

12. The combination of bell Hwith rod I by cones and nuts a and a, as described.

13. The frame F, having pieces 1?, guideends 1), lateral pieces d, and aprons e, ar ranged and applied for the purpose set forth.

14. The combination of frame P with rod b lever b, pedal-rod, and pedal, as and for the purpose described.

15. The combination of the subject-matter of the foregoing clauses, consisting of the hammer and damper action, damper-pedal, bell arrangement, tone-modifying frame, and pedal, with frame D, substantially as and for the purpose described.

' CARL G. BUTTKEREIT.

Witnesses:

KNIGHT Dnxrnn, G. R. S'munmr. 

